October 25, 2020 — New York
American Jewish Committee (AJC) congratulates Archbishop Wilton Gregory on being named Cardinal by Pope Francis. Gregory will become the first African American cardinal in the United States.
“Cardinal-designate Gregory is a dear friend of AJC and the Jewish people and a leading voice in advancing both Catholic-Jewish and Black-Jewish relations. Our shared endeavors are blessed by Archbishop Gregory’s ascent to the College of Cardinals,” said Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations.
In June 2020, Gregory addressed the AJC community and tens of thousands of others during an Advocacy Anywhere program on “Race and Faith in America.” He said, “Ignorance of the other is the soil in which hatred and bigotry grow. If we do not know each other, share our fears and share our hopes, we make it possible for hatred to grow.”
Gregory was appointed by the Pope in April 2019 to head the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C, the first African American Archbishop in the nation’s capital.
Prior to arriving in Washington, Gregory served as Archbishop of Atlanta for 14 years. He also served as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) from 2001-2004.
Archbishop Gregory has been a leader of Catholic-Jewish and interreligious relations for decades. He is current co-chair of the dialogue between the USCCB and the National Council of Synagogues, and previously served as the USCCB Moderator of Jewish affairs.
AJC, the global Jewish advocacy organization, has long been a pioneer in Catholic-Jewish relations in the United States and globally. AJC Regional Offices in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. have worked closely with Archbishop Gregory.
